JP3167822U - Non-contact filling valve - Google Patents

Abstract

In a non-contact filling valve for filling liquid food, generation of bubbles is suppressed. A non-contact filling valve 100 includes a case 200, a spindle 3, and a hollow slide unit 6. The case 200 has a supply port 21, a filling port 61, and an internal space formed between the supply port 21 and the filling port 61. The spindle 3 is fixed in the internal space of the case 200. The hollow slide unit 6 is mounted on the filling port 61 side of the internal space of the case 200 and is movable between the filling position and the closing position along the axial direction of the spindle 3. Therefore, the fluid enters the supply port 21 and flows out from the filling port 61 to form an annular flow between the outer surface of the spindle 3 and the inner surface of the case 200 and the inner surface of the hollow slide unit 6. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of a bubble can be suppressed by making low the exit speed of the jet of a filling liquid. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact filling valve, and more particularly to a non-contact filling valve for liquid food filling.

  Generally, in the food industry, there are two types of filling methods that are often applied to liquid packaging equipment: a hot filling method and a low temperature aseptic filling method.

  The heat filling method is to start the filling operation by bringing the injection end of most filling valves into contact with the mouth of the packaging container. When the injection end is far from the mouth of the packaging container, the compression spring inside the filling valve is restored, and the filling operation is stopped. The “injection end” and “inside” of this type of filling valve have a slide and machine configuration that contacts the food and there is no dividing mechanism, so that microorganisms are likely to grow and are difficult to clean. There is a problem of causing pollution.

  In the low temperature aseptic filling method, the filling end is not brought into contact with the mouth of the packaging container and the filling operation is started when the sensor senses that the container is located directly below the filling valve, or the filling operation is started by program control. In addition, the standard pressure unit above the filling valve is driven via compressed air, and the spindle is rotated to control whether or not the filling operation is advanced. This type of filling valve has a standard pressure unit above it. Since liquid is fed from the supply port on the side to the filling valve, not only cleaning blind spots are likely to occur, but also when performing the filling operation, the liquid cannot be jetted sideways at a uniform speed, and a large amount of air flows into the liquid. Introduce into the foam and cause bubbles.

  The above-described two types of filling type filling valve configurations do not give consideration to hygiene or when a liquid enters the container, a large amount of air is introduced and bubbles are likely to occur. This will affect the quality of the liquid food in the container.

  Cleaning In Place or CIP is a conventional method used to clean production equipment in the food industry. However, there are still blind spots.

  The system that removes the filling valve partly and cleans it by human power outside the equipment (Cleaning Out Place) is not only time consuming, but also requires a lot of man-hours to remove the filling valve regularly. Costs when it breaks down.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention mainly aims to provide a non-contact filling valve capable of averaging the speed of a liquid jet and suppressing the generation of bubbles by the entry of a large amount of air. And

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact filling valve capable of performing CIP more easily and quickly and not causing a cleaning blind spot.

  In order to achieve the above object, a non-contact filling valve according to the present invention includes a case, a spindle, a hollow slide unit, and a drive unit.

The case has a supply port, a filling port, and an internal space formed between the supply port and the filling port.
The spindle is fixed in the internal space of the case.

  The hollow slide unit is mounted on the filling port side of the internal space of the case, accommodates the spindle, and is movable between the filling position and the closing position along the axial direction of the spindle. As a result, the fluid formed in the internal space enters the supply port, flows out of the filling port, and forms an annular flow between the outer surface of the spindle, the inner surface of the case, and the inner surface of the hollow slide unit. To do.

  The drive unit is located between the case and the hollow slide unit, and drives the hollow slide unit to move between the filling position and the closed position.

  When the hollow slide unit moves to the closed position, the hollow slide unit contacts the spindle and closes the annular flow. When the hollow slide unit moves to the filling position, a gap is created between the hollow slide unit and the spindle, and an annular flow is caused to flow.

  In the present invention, the filling valve employs a system in which liquid is not brought into contact with the filling valve by a metering control technique. In this method, the hollow slide unit is moved inside the case by driving high-pressure air or a compression spring, the liquid supply port is positioned right above the case, and the outlet speed of the jet of the filling liquid is lowered. Suppresses the entry of a large amount of air into the foam. The non-contact filling valve according to the present invention can prevent the liquid from coming into contact with the hollow slide unit and the spindle by arranging a compression membrane in the case, and can improve hygiene and safety and CIP cleaning effect. .

1 is a partially cutaway sectional view of a non-contact filling valve according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the system configuration | structure which controls the action | operation of the non-contact filling valve shown in FIG. 1 by measurement control technology and compressed air energy. It is a partially cutaway sectional view of a non-contact filling valve according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a partially cutaway sectional view of a tool used for attaching and detaching the compression membrane in the non-contact filling valve shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a non-contact filling valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the non-contact filling valve 100 is used to inject a fluid to be measured into an upright container. In the non-contact filling valve 100, the case 200 includes an upper case 2 having a supply port 21 at the upper end, an intermediate case 4 and a lower case 7 having a filling port 61 at the lower end.

  The upper case 2, the middle case 4, and the lower case 7 are coupled by screws 22. The protrusion 31 of the spindle 3 is sandwiched and fixed between the lower end of the upper case 2 and the intermediate case 4.

  The hollow slide unit 6 moves up and down in the lower case 7 by driving high-pressure air, and stops liquid injection when coming into contact with the closing ring 33 of the spindle 3. The hollow slide unit 6 is operated in a valve by a spindle 3 fixed so as not to move, and a bubble is prevented from being generated by jetting a filling liquid in a lateral direction and generating an average fluid with a low outlet velocity. can do.

  The spindle 3 is composed of a long columnar body and a protrusion 31 located at an intermediate part of the long columnar body. Since the protrusion 31 and the long columnar body are connected by a plurality of radial radial units 36 that are spaced apart from each other, between the outer surface of the long columnar body and the inner surface of the case 200 and a plurality of radial radial units. An annular flow is formed between 36. In the present embodiment, a plurality of concave portions 37 are formed along the axial direction and spaced from the outer surface of the long columnar body.

  The hollow slide unit 6 moves up and down in the lower case 7 by a drive unit (not shown) communicating with external compressed air. The drive unit has an upper gas chamber 74 and a lower gas chamber 72. The spindle 3 has a reduced portion 34 and a radially enlarged portion 35 on the filling port 61 side. The hollow slide unit 6 includes a smooth portion 62, a first upright portion 63, a connecting portion 64 that connects the smooth portion 62 and the first upright portion 63, a first protrusion 65, and a first It has the 2nd upright part 66 connected with the 1st projection part 65 so that it may become parallel to the upright part 63. FIG.

  The second upright portion 66 is in close contact with the inner surface of the lower case 7, and the inner surface of the smooth portion 62 of the hollow slide unit 6 is in close contact with the outer surface of the filling port 61 of the lower case 7. A lower gas chamber 72 is formed. The upper gas chamber 74 has an upper compressed air inlet / outlet 73 that communicates with external compressed air, and the lower gas chamber 72 has a lower compressed air inlet / outlet 71 that communicates with external compressed air. When high-pressure air is introduced into the upper gas chamber 74 from the upper compressed air inlet / outlet 73, the hollow slide unit 6 moves to the lower gas chamber 72 by the pressure of the high-pressure air, and the non-contact filling valve 100 is shown in FIG. Move to a different filling position, i.e. flow an annular flow. Thereby, the liquid enters from the supply port 21, forms an annular flow, and is injected from the filling port 61 into the upright container to be filled.

  When high-pressure air is introduced into the lower gas chamber 72 from the lower compressed air inlet / outlet 71, the hollow slide unit 6 moves to the upper gas chamber 74 by the pressure of the high-pressure air and moves to the closed position. That is, the connecting portion 64 of the hollow slide unit 6 is in close contact with the closing ring 33 located at the lower end on the radially extending portion 35 of the spindle 3 and closes the annular flow.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the non-contact filling valve 100 has a sealing property between the intermediate case 4, the hollow slide unit 6, and the lower case 7 by arranging a plurality of sealing rings 11 and wear-resistant rings 12. And ensure wear resistance.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pulse / volume unit signal 120 obtained from the metering sensing unit, for example, the flow meter 110, and the input activation command signal 130 are compared by the program control system 140. When the numerical values of the pulse / volume unit signal 120 and the start command signal 130 match, the program control system 140 sends a control signal 150 to the solenoid valve 160 to send compressed air to the upper compressed air on the non-contact filling valve 100. Supplying to the inlet / outlet 73 or the lower compressed air inlet / outlet 71, the drive unit in the non-contact filling valve 100 is operated. At this time, the liquid in the filling tank 170 is filled into the upright container located below the non-contact type filling valve 100 by the non-contact type filling valve 100.

(Second Embodiment)
A non-contact filling valve 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention is as shown in FIG. Parts that are similar to the part or configuration of FIG. 1 are labeled with the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 3, the non-contact filling valve 100 includes an upper case 2 having a gradually reducing supply pipe 1 and a spindle 3 fixed between the upper case 2 and the intermediate case 4. The hollow slide unit 6 moves up and down in the lower case 7 by driving air or the compression spring 8, and stops injection when coming into contact with the closing ring 33 of the spindle 3. The compression membrane 5 is fixed between the intermediate case 4 and the hollow slide unit 6 with an upper clamping plate 51 and a lower clamping plate 53, and the liquid and slide surface (upper clamping plate 51, lower clamping). The contact with the plate 53 and the compression spring 8) is cut off.

  The non-contact type filling valve 100 shown in FIG. 3 can be applied to a configuration similar to that in FIG. The closing operation is performed by putting the pressurized air into the lower compressed air inlet / outlet 71 of the lower gas chamber 72 of the non-contact filling valve 100. That is, if the connecting portion 64 of the hollow slide unit 6 is brought into close contact with the closing ring 33 located at the lower end of the radially extending portion 35 of the spindle 3, the annular flow can be closed.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view showing a part of a tool used for detaching the compression membrane 5 in the non-contact filling valve 100 shown in FIG. When the tool is used, first, the periphery of the top surface of the compression film 5 is fastened to the intermediate case 4 and the upper fastening plate 51 by the screw 52, and then the compression spring 8 and the lower fastening plate 53 are attached, and the compression spring is attached. 8 is positioned between the intermediate case 4 and the lower fastening plate 53. Subsequently, the fixed base 9 of the tool is mounted at an intermediate position of the intermediate case 4, the lifting base 91 is fastened to the lifting screw 93 (thread not shown), and then the lifting screw 93 can be rotated at the bottom. Is mounted in the support seat of the fixed base 9. Finally, the three screws 92 are passed through the elevating base 91, the fixed base 9, the intermediate case 4, and the upper fastening plate 51, respectively, and fixed at three locations on the lower fastening plate 53.

  The elevating screw 93 is turned to raise the elevating base 91 and simultaneously raise the lower fastening plate 53, compress the compression spring 8, and cause the bottom edge of the compression film 5 to protrude to the intermediate portion of the lower fastening plate 53. The compression spring 8 is continuously compressed until Subsequently, the bottom edge of the compression membrane 5 is fastened to the first protrusion 65 of the hollow slide unit 6 and the lower fastening plate 53 by the screw 67. Finally, the tool shown in FIG. 4 is mounted in the lower case 7 shown in FIG. 3, and the first protrusion 65 of the hollow slide unit 6 and the second protrusion 75 of the lower case 7 are brought into contact with each other. After that, the middle case 4 and the lower case 7 are coupled by the screw 42, the tool is subsequently removed, and the upper case 2 is fixed to the middle case 4 by the screw 22, the mounting operation is completed.

  The outer surface of the filling port 61 of the lower case 7 is in close contact with the inner surface of the smooth portion 62 of the hollow slide unit 6. The lower gas chamber 72 is formed below the first protrusion 65 of the hollow slide unit 6 and is positioned between the smooth portion 62 of the hollow slide unit 6 and the lower case 7. As shown in FIG. 3, when the non-contact filling valve 100 moves to the filling position, the hollow slide unit 6 deviates from the radially enlarged portion 35 of the spindle 3 due to the elasticity of the compression spring 8, thereby causing an annular flow. Fluidize. As a result, the liquid is supplied from the supply port 21 through the gradually reduced supply pipe 1, and then an annular flow is formed and injected from the filling port 61 into an upright container to be filled.

  The attached document 1 of the property submission form shows an annular flow when the non-contact filling valve 100 shown in FIG. 3 performs filling. The jet at the time of filling has an average outlet speed and is low (inlet speed is 1.5 m / s, outlet speed is 0.8 m / s). Since the flow of the fluid in the container is relatively concentrated, the generation of bubbles can be reliably suppressed. The non-contact filling valve 100 according to the present embodiment reliably suppresses the growth of microorganisms by the mechanism operation of the hollow slide unit 6 in the filling valve and the design of the compression membrane 5, and is difficult to wash, hygiene and safety. It is possible to solve the problem that

  Attachment 2 of the property submission form shows the flow of fluid when CIP cleaning is performed on the non-contact filling valve 100 shown in FIG. It has been found that the non-contact type filling valve 100 according to the present embodiment does not cause a cleaning blind spot even at sites (A and B) that are relatively difficult to clean.

  Even if the positions of the compression spring 8 and the gas chamber 72 in the non-contact filling valve 100 shown in FIG. 3 are changed to replace each other, the same function can be achieved.

  The present invention controls whether or not the filling valve is caused to advance the filling operation by compressed air or a compression spring, but those skilled in the art who are familiar with this technology depart from the idea of the present invention. The configuration can be variously changed within the range not to be performed.

  As mentioned above, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment at all, In the range which does not deviate from the meaning of invention, it can be implemented with a various form.

1... Reduced supply pipe,
11 ・ ・ ・ Sealing ring,
12 ... Wear-resistant ring,
2 ... Upper case (case),
21 ... supply port,
22 ... Screw,
200 ・ ・ ・ Case 3 ・ ・ ・ Spindle,
31 ... Protrusions,
33 ... Closure ring,
34 ・ ・ ・ Reduce part,
35 ・ ・ ・ Diameter enlarged portion,
36 ... radial radial unit,
37 ・ ・ ・ concave portion,
4 ... Intermediate case (case),
42 ・ ・ ・ Screw,
5 ... Compressed membrane,
51 ・ ・ ・ Upper clamping plate,
52 ... Screws,
53... Lower fastening plate,
6 ・ ・ ・ Hollow slide unit,
61 ... filling port,
62 ・ ・ ・ Smooth part,
63 ・ ・ ・ First upright part,
64 ・ ・ ・ connecting part,
65 ・ ・ ・ first protrusion,
66 ・ ・ ・ second upright part,
67 ・ ・ ・ Screw,
7 ... Lower case (case),
71 ・ ・ ・ Lower compressed air inlet / outlet,
72 ... lower gas chamber,
73 ・ ・ ・ Upper compressed air inlet / outlet,
74 ・ ・ ・ Lower gas chamber,
75 ・ ・ ・ second protrusion,
8 ・ ・ ・ Compression spring,
9: Fixed base,
91 ・ ・ ・ Lifting base,
92 ... Screws,
93 ... Lifting screw,
100 ... Non-contact filling valve,
110 ・ ・ ・ Flow meter,
120... Pulse / volume unit signal,
130 ・ ・ ・ Start command signal,
140... Program control system,
150 ... control signal,
160 ... solenoid valve,
170: Filling tank.

Claims (14)

A supply port, a filling port, and a case having an internal space formed between the supply port and the filling port;
A spindle fixed in the internal space of the case;
A hollow slide unit mounted on the filling port side of the internal space, accommodating the spindle, and movable between a filling position and a closing position along the axial direction of the spindle;
A drive unit that is located between the case and the hollow slide unit and that drives the hollow slide unit to move between the filling position and the closed position;
With
The fluid enters the supply port, flows out of the filling port, and forms an annular flow between the outer surface of the spindle and the inner surface of the case and the inner surface of the hollow slide unit;
When the hollow slide unit moves to the closed position, the hollow slide unit abuts the spindle and closes the annular flow;
When the hollow slide unit moves to the filling position, a gap is formed between the hollow slide unit and the spindle to cause the annular flow to flow. The spindle is composed of a long columnar body and a protrusion positioned at an intermediate portion of the long columnar body,
The protrusion and the long column are connected by a plurality of radial radial units,
The protrusion is fixed to the case;
2. The non-circular flow according to claim 1, wherein the annular flow is formed between an outer surface of the long column and an inner surface of the case and between the plurality of radial radial units. Contact filling valve.   The non-contact filling valve according to claim 2, wherein the long column has a plurality of recesses that are spaced apart from the outer surface and formed along the axial direction. The drive unit has a compression spring and a gas chamber,
The compression spring and the gas chamber are respectively disposed at upper and lower ends of the hollow slide unit,
The gas chamber is disposed at the lower end of the hollow slide unit and has a compressed air inlet / outlet communicating with the outside,
The hollow slide unit moves to the gas chamber by an extension operation of the compression spring, and compresses the compression spring by the pressure of high-pressure air introduced into the gas chamber from the compressed air inlet / outlet. Item 3. The non-contact filling valve according to Item 2. The compression spring is disposed above the hollow slide unit,
The hollow slide unit moves to the gas chamber by the extension operation of the compression spring, moves to the filling position,
The gas chamber is disposed below the hollow slide unit,
The non-contact filling valve according to claim 4, wherein the hollow slide unit compresses the compression spring by the pressure of the high-pressure air and moves to the closed position. The compression spring is disposed below the hollow slide unit,
The hollow slide unit moves to the gas chamber by the extension operation of the compression spring, moves to the closed position,
The gas chamber is disposed above the hollow slide unit,
The non-contact filling valve according to claim 4, wherein the hollow slide unit compresses the compression spring by the pressure of the high-pressure air and moves to the filling position.   7. The compression membrane according to claim 1, further comprising a compression membrane that is mounted in the internal space, accommodates the spindle, and isolates the drive unit and the annular flow. Non-contact filling valve as described.   The non-contact type filling valve according to claim 7, wherein the compression membrane has a top edge fixed to the case and a bottom edge fixed to the hollow slide unit. An upper clamping plate and a lower clamping plate are provided,
The upper clamping plate is fixed to the case by a screw, and the top edge of the compression membrane is sandwiched between the upper clamping plate and the case,
The lower fastening plate is fixed to the hollow slide unit by a screw, and the bottom edge of the compression membrane is sandwiched between the lower fastening plate and the hollow slide unit. The non-contact filling valve according to claim 8. The spindle has a reduced portion and a radially enlarged portion on the filling port side,
The hollow slide unit has a smooth portion, a first protrusion, and a connecting portion for connecting the smooth portion and the first protrusion on the filling port side,
The smoothing portion accommodates the reduced portion,
The lower clamping plate is fixed to the first projection by a screw, and the bottom edge of the compression film is sandwiched between the lower clamping plate and the first projection.
The said connection part closely_contact | adheres to the lower edge of the said radial direction expansion part of the said spindle when the said hollow slide unit moves to the said closing position, The said cyclic | annular flow is closed, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. A non-contact filling valve according to 9. The case is composed of an upper case having the supply port at the upper end, an intermediate case, and a lower case having the filling port at the lower end,
The upper case has a lower end fastened to the intermediate case by a screw, and fixes the protruding portion of the spindle between the upper case and the intermediate case,
The upper fastening plate is fixed to the intermediate case by screws, and the top edge of the compression film is sandwiched between the upper fastening plate and the intermediate case,
The compression spring is positioned between the intermediate case and the lower clamping plate;
The lower case has a second protrusion that contacts the first protrusion of the hollow slide unit on the inner surface, and the inner surface of the lower case is outside the smooth portion of the hollow slide unit. Close to the surface,
The lower case and the intermediate case are tightened by screws,
11. The gas chamber is formed below the first protrusion of the hollow slide unit, and is located between the smooth portion and the lower case of the hollow slide unit. A non-contact filling valve according to 1. The drive unit has an upper gas chamber and a lower gas chamber,
The upper gas chamber is formed at the upper end of the hollow slide unit, and has an upper compressed air inlet / outlet communicating with the outside,
The lower gas chamber is formed at the lower end of the hollow slide unit, and has a lower compressed air inlet / outlet communicating with the outside,
When high-pressure air is introduced into the upper gas chamber from the upper compressed air inlet / outlet, the hollow slide unit moves to the lower gas chamber by the pressure of the high-pressure air,
The high-pressure air is introduced into the lower gas chamber from the lower compressed air inlet / outlet, and the hollow slide unit moves to the upper gas chamber by the pressure of the high-pressure air. Non-contact filling valve. The spindle has a reduced portion and a radially enlarged portion on the filling port side,
The hollow slide unit has a smooth portion on the filling port side, a first upright portion, and a connecting portion that connects the smooth portion and the first upright portion,
The first upright portion accommodates the radially enlarged portion,
The smoothing portion accommodates the reduced portion,
13. When the hollow slide unit is moved to the closed position, the connecting portion is brought into close contact with a lower edge of the radially enlarged portion of the spindle and closes the annular flow. A non-contact filling valve according to 1. The case is composed of an upper case having the supply port at the upper end, an intermediate case, and a lower case having the filling port at the lower end,
The upper case, the intermediate case, and the lower case are tightened by screws,
The protrusion of the spindle is fixed by being sandwiched between a lower end of the upper case and the intermediate case,
The smooth portion of the hollow slide unit has a first protrusion that contacts the filling port of the lower case,
The hollow slide unit has a second upright portion coupled to the first protrusion so as to be parallel to the first upright portion,
The second upright portion is in close contact with the inner surface of the lower case,
The smooth portion of the hollow slide unit has an outer surface in close contact with the inner surface of the lower case,
The upper gas chamber is formed above the second upright portion of the hollow slide unit and between the intermediate case and the lower case,
The lower gas chamber is formed below the second upright portion of the hollow slide unit and between the smooth portion and the protrusion of the hollow slide unit and the lower case. The non-contact filling valve according to claim 13.

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